OVERCROWDED SCHOOL

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 90, 13 October 1926, Page 6

OVERCROWDED SCHOOL

A PETONE COMPLAINT,

The committee of the Petone Central School is much concerned with the fact | that the school is understaffed, and it is stated that applications made to the Education Department, on the advice of the Wellington Education Eoard's senior inspector, for extra teachers have been refused. Tho following statement on the question was made by the chairman of the committee, Mr. JacksonHuglies:— '' Owing to the establishment of large industries in Petone, there has been a phenomenal increase in the attendance at the Petone Central School. Whereas at the beginning of the year the roll was 805, it is now 916. The average attendance for the past five weeks has been 811. "To meet this increase of attendance the Wellington Education Board, acting on the advice of the senior inspector, has asked the Education Department to sanction the appointment to the staff of an extra assistant teacher, but the Department refuses. The committee of tho school feels that a grave injustice is being inflicted on the children attending the school, and is arranging to hold a public meeting with the object of voicing a protest. Grave dissatisfaction is felt on account of the treatment the school is receiving at the hands of the Education Department. The Department recognises that several now schools must be built in the district in the near future, and the residents of Petone contend that meantime the situation must be dealt with by the appointment of extra teaebers in existing schools." .The headmaster of the school, Mr. D. S. Bcdingfield, states that it is quite impossible to meet the needs of the pupils with the present staff, and that the children in the higher standards are being penalised at a most important period of their educational career. There are, for instance, 70 pupils in Standard V., under one-teacher, and it is quite impossible to give anything like adequate personal attention to individuals in such a class.